Manufacture of glass yarn



Dec. 4, 1945. J. F HYDE 2,390,370

MANUFACTURE OF GLASS YARN Filed Oct. 11, 1943 Patented Dec. 4, 1945 MANUFACTURE OF GLASS YARN James Franklin Hyde, Corning. N. Y., assignm- Coming Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 11, 1943, Serial No. 505,833

Claims.

The present invention relates to coatings for glass fibers particularly when grouped in strand or yarn form.

This application is a continuatiom in-part of my copending applications Serial Number 318,373 filed February 10, 1940, and Serial Number 490,517 filed June 11, 1943.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide coatings for glass fibers that facilitate the formation of strands of the fibers, that assure ready fabrication of the strands into yarns and woven fabrics, and that improve the handleability of strands, yarns, and slivers and lend new properties to the finished article.

In the mechanical drawing method for the production of a plurality of extremely fine, long, continuous fibers. as, for example, by the method illustrated and described in the Slayter and Thomas Patent No. 2,234,986 dated March 18, 1941, it has been found that the speed of attenuation and production of fibers was limited by the speeds at which the fibers could be formed into strands and wound on packages in such a manner that the strands could be unwound and processed thereafter in the conventional textile machines. When the bundle of fibers is drawn from the molten glass flowing from the hot bushing, it is pressed against a pad continually saturated with a liquid called a "binding fluid." The fibers pick up this binding fluid as they pass over the pad at very high velocities. The fluid must be able to impart lubrication to the fibers as they are drawn over the pad and also it must lubricate the fibers against themselves to prevent breakage by abrasion during twisting and winding operations. Also this fluid must contain adhesive ingredients for binding all the individual filaments from one bushing (100-400) into one strand. This strand must function as a single line thread during the twisting process. If this strand is not well bound, it will tend to separate into many small strands or filaments which divide and make its removal from the original winding tubes almost impossible.

The binding fluid must be able to stick the fibers together to form the strand, but it must not stick the strand to the application pad. The lubricant part of the binder must be able to lubricate the fibers against abrasih from each other in the final yarn, but it should not inhibit the sticking properties of the binder. An over lubricated strand cannot be removed in the proper manner from the winding tubes in the twisting operation. A tightly bound strand without proper lubricant breaks very quickly under friction and abrasion during twisting and winding. Thus, the problem resolves itself into balancing two opposing eflects: (i) that of sticking the fibers together, and (2) that of lubricating them against themselves and against abrasion from fabricating equipment. It is an object of this invention to provide a coating that permits glass fibers to be produced at extremely high speeds, as, for example, above 5,000 or even 20,000 feet per minute, and yet enable the fibers to be gathered into strand form and packaged into a useful article.

The present invention is also applicable to slivers of staple-type fibers made by the process of the Tucker and Lannan Patent No. 2,264,345, of December 2, 1941. In this process molten glass streams are attenuated by a gaseous blast and the fibers as they are formed are collected in a web which is elongated and narrowed into the form of a silver. For some uses the silver lacks sufllcient integrity and handleability and the loose fibers and fiber ends are found objectionable.

One of the primary purposes of the coating itself is to bond the fibers together in strand form prior to twisting without fraying or subdividing. Once extremely fine fibers, that is, below .0004 inch and particularly below about .0002 inch in diameter, have been intertwisted into a thread, they will retain their coherence and strength without fraying or subdividing and without the necessity of an adhesive coating material. Befor twisting and when in strand form without proper adhesive, it is difficult to handle the strands and process them through the conventional textile machines.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coating for the fibers that will bind the fibers in the sliver and bind down loose fiber ends and facilitate subsequent fabricating operations such as twisting and weaving.

It is a further object to provide a strand of glass fibers wherein the individual fibers are provided with a coating which permits relative movement of the. fibers in the strand, thereby preventing breakng of the fibers as the strand is twisted and woven or braided.

Another object of the coating material is to re- Referring now more particularly to the drawing, reference character designates broadly to filam'entizing apparatus wherein a multiplicity of individual filaments 6 are simultaneously being supplied continuously from a single source such as a feeder I or other supply means and are being drawn and attenuated by means of a revolving spool or drum 9 on which the fibers are wound to form a package it thereon, A blower H which may be provided in proximity to the feeder 1, is adapted to chill the glass as it emerges from the feeder, although the present invention is not limited to any particular filamentizing apparatus.

The filaments 6 as they,emerge from the filamentizing apparatus 5 are grouped together in substantially parallel relation and drawn over a concave guide i2 in the form or a groove or eye which serves to size the filaments and simultaneously group them into a strand ii. In being drawn over the guide '2, the filaments are preferably turned through as small an angle as possible in order to reduce to a minimum the amount of force exerted by the strand upon the guide and the resultant friction. The strand l3 may then be traversed by means of traverse I4 which assists in the formation of the package Ill upon the drum or spool 9.

The gathering and lubrication guide I2 is preferably made from a very light metal, such as aluminum, in order to keep its inertia as low as possible. The free end of the guide is provided with a groove 4 (see Fig. 2) having a rounded outer surface which may be covered by means of a pad I20. composed of suitable porous material such as a felt, muslin, sponge, cloth, or the like. The upper portion ii of the guide I2 is in the form of an inclined trough upon which the coating substance may be fed and introduced to the groove 4 over which the filaments are drawn. The guide l2 may be fastened to a support l6 by means of a screw H or the like. The support It is preferably provided with two upstanding flanges I8, one at each end thereof, and each secured to and suspended from yielding means 19 which are preferably in the form of flexible metal tapes, composed, for example, of spring steel or the like. The upper ends of the tapes [9 may be secured to an upper support 20 having dimensions comparable to the lower support 16, whereby supports l0 and 20 and the tapes l9 define a parallelogram which gives approximately straight line motion to the guide i2 as it is moved by the strand It. The upper support 20 may be mounted upon a lug 50 by means of set screws ii. In order to permit pivoting of the system under the influence of the traversing movement of the strand lit, the lug 50 may be pivotally secured to a bushing 2| which is located at the bottom of a sizing container 22. A bolt 53 may be provided to hold the lug in place and permit the same to pivot in relation to the container 22.

The container 22 is provided with an outlet orifice 23 through which sizing material may be fed. A conduit 24 communicates with the outlet 23 and serves to convey the sizing material to the guide i2 by gravitational means. An adjusting needle 25 fits into the orifice 23 and may be placed in any desired vertical position by means of an adjusting pin 26, similar in design to a conventional oil dripper.

Arranged preferably in the lower portion of the container 22 is a heating means 28, such as an immersion type heater using electrical energy supplied through the electrical connections 29.

The container 22 may be adjustably mounted upon a suitable elbow 30 to which it is pivotally attached for tilting movement by means of a pivot bolt 8|. The container is held in any desired position 0! adjustment by means of a screw rod 32 and wing nut 33.

The elbow III in turn may be mounted upon one end of an arm 25 having a collar 36 at the opposite end thereof, fitting around a vertical supporting rod 21. The collar 38 may swing around on the rod 31 and be held in adjusted 'position by means of the bolt and nut 88.

Depending from the elbow 30 is a system of rods 40 having an adjustable connection 4i. Supported at the free end thereof is a cup 42 which is spaced below the guide I2 to receive any surplus dripplngs of sizing material which may fall from the guide i2. As shown in Fig. 2, the cup may be provided with an opening 44 through which the strand i3 may pass without touching the sides of the cup. When not in operation the cup may be swung about the connection 41 out of the path of the strand l3.

In the operation of the present device, the organo-silicon compositions of my invention or mixtures thereof, whether in molten condition, solution form, or in the form of an emulsion, may be held in the container 22, heated to the desired temperature by means of the heater 2!, and fed through the orifice 23 and through the conduit 24 to the guide l2. The pad l2a may be saturated with the coating material, especially the groove 4 around which the filaments B are drawn. The filaments in being drawn over the pad |2a are lubricated by the liquid coating material and are simultaneously coated thereby. In traveling from the guide l2 to the package Hi, the coating material may be sufficiently solidified that it will not cause the adjacent strands upon the package to adhere to one another. However, when such substances as oils, thin solutions or emulsions are applied, the coating may remain substantially in a fiuid or slightly viscous condition on the package which, however, does not prevent the strand from being unwound.

Should any filament 6 break during its attenuation, an operator may restart the stream how by means of a bait or the like and after a preliminary attenuation may draw the filament adjacent the others across the groove 4, and as it takes on its allotment of coating material, it Joins with the other filaments in the strand and passes on into the package automatically.

It is to be observed that in the process of coating, the guide I2 is supported yieldingly by means of the flexible tapes I! so that when the strand i3 is subjected to any unusual stresses or irregular pulling forces, even of minute magnitude, the guide l2 will yield, maintaining a substantially uniform friction and force against the strand. Moreover, as the strand is traversed back and forth b the traverse H, the guide I2 is permitted to follow the sideway movements by oscillating around the axis of the bolt 53, and thus any jerking movements emanating from the packaging process are smoothed out and dissipated. This arrangement has been found to materially assist in the eiliciency of the sizing operation.

After the strands have been fabricated into the finished product, as, for example, in a woven, knitted, braided, or otherwise interlaced glass fabric, the coating liquid surrounding each fiber conditions the fibers to provide a soft, supple fabric that is smooth and lustrous. The good electrical properties of the organo-silicon compounds also make the fabrics well suited for use in electrical insulation. Furthermore, the moisture repellent character of thecompounds adapts the fabrics to uses where high humidity and other moisture conditions prevail.

For certain industrial applications, it has been found unnecessary to remove the organo-silicon coatings of my invention. In fact, the continued presence of the organo-silicon compounds has been found desirable. For example, if an electrical insulating varnish is to be applied to the glass fibers, the organo-silicon compound not Only possesses much electrical properties as not to impair the insulating character of the product but it also serves to water-proof the glass and to act as a primer for the insulating varnish causing it to adhere much more tenaciously than it otherwise would.

Modifications and variations may be resorted to within the scope and the spirit of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A strand composed of a multiplicity of long, fine, attenuated glass fibers, and an adhesive and lubricating coating containing an organosiloxane in amount sufiicient to bond the individual fibers together in strand form, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being organic radicals attached to silicon through direct carbon linkage.

2. A strand composed of a multiplicity of long, fine, attenuated glass fibers, and an adhesive and lubricating liquid coating containing an organo-siloxane in amount sufiicient to bond the individual fibers together in strand form, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being monovalent hydrocarbon radicals attached to silicon through carbon-silicon linkages.

3. A strand comprising a multiplicity of long, extremely fine glass fibers and an adhesive and lubricating bonding material comprising phenyl ethyl poly-siloxane, said material forming a coating over the surfaces of the individual fibers and also a coating for the strand as a whole, said material being present in amount sufiicient to bind the fibers together and retain them in the form of a strand while lubricating the fiber surfaces and preventing direct contact of the fibers with each other.

4. A strand comprising a multiplicity of long, extremel fine glass fibers and an adhesive and lubricating bonding material comprising an organo-siloxane, said material forming a coating over the surfaces of the individual fibers and also a coating for the strand as a whole, said material being present in amount sufilcient to bind the fibers together and retain them in the form of a strand while lubricating the fiber surfaces and preventing direct contact of the fibers with each other, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being organic radicals attached to silicon through direct carbon linkage,

5. A strand comprising a. multiplicity oi long, extremely fine glass fibers and an adhesive and lubricating liquid bonding material comprising an organo-siloxane, said material forming a coating over the surfaces of the individual fibers and also a coating for the strand as a whole, said material being present in amount sufllcient to bind the fibers together and retain them in the form of a strand while lubricating the fiber surfaces and preventing direct contact of the fibers with each other, the organic substituents or said organo-siloxane being monovalent hydrocarbon radicals attached to silicon through direct carbon linkage.

6. A strand comprising a multiplicity of long, extremely fine glass fibers and an adhesive and lubricating liquid bonding material comprising an organo-siloxane, said material forming a coating over the surfaces of the individual fibers and also a coating for the strand as a whole, said material being present in amount suificient to bind the fibers together and retain them in the form of a strand while lubricating the fiber surfaces and preventing direct contact of the fibers with each other, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being alkyl and aryl radicals attached to silicon through carbon-silicon linkages.

1. The method comprising forming glass fibers, applying to each or said fibers an adhesive and lubricating coating comprising an organo-siloxane and grouping said fibers to form yarn, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being 'organic radicals attached to silicon through direct carbon linkage.

8. The method comprising forming a plurality of fine glass fibers, arranging said fibers in substantially parallel relationship, coating each of said fibers with an adhesive lubricating layer containing an organo-siloxane, bringing said fibers together to form a strand in which form they are adhesively retained by their individual coating, the organic substituents of said organosiloxane being organic radicals attached to silicon through direct carbon linkage.

9. The method comprising forming a plurality of fine glass fibers, arranging said fibers in substantially parallel relationship, coating each of said fibers with an adhesive lubricating layer containing an organo-siloxane, bringing said fibers together to form a strand in which form they are adhesively retained by their individual coating, the organic substituents of said organosiloxane being monovalent hydrocarbon radicals attached to silicon through carbon-silicon linka es.

10. The method of lubricating relatively moving glass fibers which comprises maintaining between their bearin surfaces a lubricant film comprising a liquid organo-siloxane, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being organic radicals attached to silicon through direct carbon linkage.

11. The method of lubricating relatively moving glass fibers which comprises maintaining between their bearing surfaces a lubricant film comprising a liquid organo-siloxane, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane being monovalent hydrocarbon radicals attached to silicon through carbon-silicon linkages.

12. A strand composed of a multiplicity of long fine attenuated glass fibers, and an adhesive and lubricating liquid coating containing an organosiloxane in amounts suificient to bond the individual fibers together in strand form, the organic substituents of said organo-siloxane consisting essentially of alkyl and aryl radicals attached to silicon through carbon-silicon linkages.

13. Th method comprising forming a plurality of fine glass fibers, arranging said fibers in substantially parallel relationship, coating each of said fibers with an adhesive lubricating layer containing a liquid organo-siloxane, bringing said fibers together to form a strand in which form they are adhesively retained by their individual coatings, the organic substituents of said organesiloxane consisting essentially of alkyl and aryl radicals attached to silicon through carbonsilicon linkages.

14. The method of lubricating relatively moving glass fibers which comprises maintaining between their bearing surfaces a lubricant film comprising a liquid organo-siloxane whose organic substituents consist essentially 01' alkyl and 10 CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,590,570.

December )4, 1914.5.

JAMES FRANKLIN HYDE It is hereby certified that the above numbered patent was erroneously issued to Corning Glass works, of Corning, New York, a corporation of New York" whereas said patent should have been issued to -0wens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, assignee by means assignments-, as shown by the record of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of February, A. D. 191L6- (Seal) Leslie Frazer Flrst Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

they are adhesively retained by their individual coatings, the organic substituents of said organesiloxane consisting essentially of alkyl and aryl radicals attached to silicon through carbonsilicon linkages.

14. The method of lubricating relatively moving glass fibers which comprises maintaining between their bearing surfaces a lubricant film comprising a liquid organo-siloxane whose organic substituents consist essentially 01' alkyl and 10 CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,590,570.

December )4, 1914.5.

JAMES FRANKLIN HYDE It is hereby certified that the above numbered patent was erroneously issued to Corning Glass works, of Corning, New York, a corporation of New York" whereas said patent should have been issued to -0wens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, assignee by means assignments-, as shown by the record of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of February, A. D. 191L6- (Seal) Leslie Frazer Flrst Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

